Market Segments
Refining
Typical Assets
Crude desalting units, atmospheric and vacuum distillation, hydrotreating and hydrocracking units, catalytic reforming, FCC units, thermal and delayed coking, alkylation units, gasoline blending systems, strippers, knockout and flash drums, heat exchangers, furnaces, API separators, and associated piping.
Fouling & Deposit Drivers
Refining operations encounter some of the industry’s most severe fouling environments due to elevated temperatures, corrosive contaminants, and variable feedstocks. Deposits are most often mixed organic and inorganic, where corrosion products are bound by hydrocarbons, coke, or polymerized materials. Common constituents include iron sulfides from sour service, iron oxides and hydroxides from corrosion, carbonaceous residues, calcium and magnesium carbonates, and silicate-based scale.
These deposits lead to vapor flow restrictions in columns, loss of heat transfer in exchangers, increased pressure drop, and reduced unit throughput.
Degassing & Vapor Risk Considerations
Critical Fouling Areas
Column trays, bubble caps, and vapor passages; exchanger tube- and shell-side surfaces; furnace coils; reactor-adjacent systems; low-velocity piping and dead legs.
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Reactive chemistry cleaning
Decon testing and sampling
Mobile wastewater treatment
Passivation
Fin fan foaming
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Mobile wastewater treatment
Petrochemical & Olefins
Typical Assets
Olefins plants, isomerization units, catalytic reformers, reactors, fractionation towers, condensers, reboilers, heat exchangers, compressors, and process piping.
Fouling & Deposit Drivers
Petrochemical fouling is dominated by organic and polymeric deposits formed under heat and pressure. These materials range from viscous films to coke-like residues and frequently incorporate iron oxides or other corrosion products, creating tightly bound deposits that impede heat transfer and flow.
Deposit composition varies significantly based on service conditions and operating severity, making proper evaluation and testing critical before selecting corrective actions.
Critical Fouling Areas
Reboilers and exchangers, reactor beds and internals, compressor cooling jackets, impeller vanes and seals, and low-velocity piping circuits.
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Reactive chemistry cleaning
Online cleaning
Reactor and catalyst bed cleaning
Degassing and decontamination
Decon testing and sampling
Fin fan foaming
Turnaround support
Utilities & Boilers
Typical Assets
Waste heat boilers, CO boilers, high-pressure boilers, heaters, steam generators, condensers, cooling water systems, and auxiliary piping.
Fouling & Deposit Drivers
Utility systems primarily develop inorganic scale, including iron and copper oxides, calcium and magnesium phosphates, silica, and hydroxide deposits. Fouling severity is influenced by feedwater chemistry, water treatment effectiveness, operating pressure, and heat flux.
Dense silica-containing deposits, even in thin layers, can significantly reduce heat transfer and cause tube overheating.
Critical Fouling Areas
High heat-input tube sections, mud drums, superheater circuits, low-circulation zones, and cooling jackets on pumps and steam-driven equipment.
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Reactive chemistry cleaning
Online cleaning
Reactor and catalyst bed cleaning
Degassing and decontamination
Decon testing and sampling
Fin fan foaming
Turnaround support
Midstream & Gas Processing
Typical Assets
Gas plants, compressors, separators, storage vessels, knockout and flash drums, strippers, piping systems, and heat exchangers.
Fouling & Deposit Drivers
Midstream systems commonly accumulate iron sulfide, iron oxide, and hydrocarbon deposits driven by sour gas, moisture ingress, and corrosion reactions. Mineral scale and NORM-associated deposits may also be present in shale gas services.
Deposits commonly accumulate in low-velocity equipment and phase-transition areas, reducing system capacity and reliability.
Critical Fouling Areas
Knockout and flash drums, exchangers, compressor internals and cooling jackets, separators, and low-point piping.
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Reactive chemistry cleaning
Decon testing and sampling
Mobile wastewater treatment
Passivation
NORM services
Pulp & Paper
Typical Assets
Recovery boilers, process piping, heat exchangers, evaporators, condensers, and utility systems.
Fouling & Deposit Drivers
Pulp and paper facilities experience mixed organic and inorganic fouling, including fibers and organic sludges, iron oxides, carbonate and sulfate scale, and silica-based deposits in evaporators, recovery systems, and process piping.
Critical Fouling Areas
Evaporators, recovery boilers, heat exchangers, and low-velocity process piping.
Applicable PetroDecon Services
Reactive chemistry cleaning
Boiler cleaning
Passivation
Fin fan foaming
Wastewater treatment support